Rainbow Bridge
by Jayne Leigh
Summary: The death of a pet can be just as devastating as losing a friend or family member...Marshall has to tell four year old Norah that Oscar won't be coming home again while dealing with the lose himself. WARNING: character death...kinda.


**This is a standalone story. It was something I started a few weeks back and only just finished it. Hope you like it and wasn't sure if I should post it or not. WARNING: Character death…kinda. Please review! **

**Enjoy:**

**Rainbow Bridge**

Marshall sighed after hanging up the phone. He hadn't been expecting that call to go that way. He ran a hand over his eyes, trying to keep it together. Four year old, Norah was playing in the next room and he didn't want to worry her. He picked up the phone again and dialed a number he knew by heart.

"Mary Shannon…" His wife of six months answered.

"Hey." He greeted flatly.

"What's up?"

"I just got off the phone with Oscar's veterinarian..." He sighed again. "They found a tumor."

"A tumor?" She repeated and he could imagine her sat at her desk now giving their conversation her full attention after hearing such a serious word. "Well, can they remove it?"

"The vet said that it would do no good." He told her. "Said it would be kinder to just let him go."

"Oh…Well, he would know right?" She asked. "I mean, no one wants Oscar to suffer."

"Yeah…." Again he rubbed his eyes when he felt them stinging a little. "Listen, I need to go down there…See him before they do it…Say goodbye."

"Right, of course…I have a busy afternoon but I could cancel…"

"No, Mare its fine, you don't need to come." He told her. "It's just Norah…Do I tell her?"

"Well, she knows he hasn't been well…" She reasoned. "But I can tell her tonight when I get home if you want…"

"I didn't want to step on any toes."

"Marshall." She sighed. "Come on, you know you're apart of raising Norah…"

"So, you wouldn't mind if I talked to her?"

"Of course not." Mary assured him. "You probably would explain it better than Mark and me."

"What about taking her with me to see him?"

"You think she would want to go?"

"You think she wouldn't?"

"I guess, if you think it's a good idea…and if she understands that it's to say goodbye." Mary stated worried that her daughter might not fully understand; she was only four.

"I'll talk to her…See how that goes."

"Good plan." She answered, trusting him to know what to do.

"Okay, well I'll see you tonight then."

"Marshall?" She said before he could hang up. "If there was something they could do for him then they would…"

"I know but…"

"But what?" She asked when he trailed.

"Nothing…" He cleared his throat a little. "Don't worry."

"Marshall?"

"I better go." He said. "I'll see you later."

Mary sighed when the line went dead. She had never been a big fan of pets but after his breakup with Abigail three years ago, Marshall and Oscar came has package. They had finally got together almost a year after Abby had left and Marshall had moved in with her and Norah just four months into their relationship; neither of them felt the need to take it slow. Mary didn't have the heart to deny Oscar and Norah loved the dog nearly as much as Marshall did.

She wouldn't say that she had become attached to Oscar like they both had but she was going to miss him in some way. Like the way Norah would laugh when they played together in the backyard or whenever Marshall tried to bathe him and nearly almost always ended up getting dragged into the tub with him. She was mainly going to miss him for them and she started to replay the phone conversation over in her mind, realizing she probably could have handled it a lot better.

_**XxXxX**_

Marshall was leaning against the doorframe watching Norah playing for almost twenty minutes, trying to work up the courage to talk to her. There was a part of him wanted to reconsider but Oscar is his dog and Norah also had a strong bond with him. Playing with him, walking him and teaching him tricks had been something just the two of them did together so he knew he had to be the one to tell her.

Norah looked up and spotted him, sending a big grin. He had always thought, there would be no one in this world that he would love more than Mary but then Norah came along and stole his heart.

"Hey, princess…" He moved fully into the room. "What you up to?"

"Playing." She answered but got to her feet when she saw him sitting down on the couch.

He lifted her up and placed her on his lap, holding her tightly to him. She sighed, contently as she rested her head against his chest.

"Uncle Marshall?"

"Yeah…"

"Are you sad?" She peered up at him.

"Yeah, I am…" He said honestly.

"Why?" She asked, pulling back a little, a frown on her face.

"Well, I was just told some very bad news." He said slowly trying to figure out the right words. "Can you remember what a veterinarian is?"

"Oscar's doctor?" She guessed after a few seconds of thinking about it.

"That's right." Marshall nodded. "I just spoke with Oscar's doctor and he told me that he's not feeling any better."

"Oh." She frowned again. "Does that mean he won't be able to come home tonight?"

"No, he won't be coming home tonight." Marshall was trying his hardest not to get emotional, he wanted to be there for Norah and make it as easy as possible. "The thing is, Norah…He's not going to be coming back home."

"Never?" Norah asked, her eyes widening a little.

"I'm sorry." He brushed her hair back from her face.

"Why not?" Tears appeared in her eyes, which made it harder for Marshall to hold it together.

"Because he's very sick." He told her. "And the doctors can't make him better again."

"Is he going to die?"

"Yeah, princess…" He whispered, swallowing a lump that had risen in his throat. Fortunately, Norah hadn't experience many deaths in her short life so far but a year ago, Peter's mother had passed away so they had to explain it to her then what it meant to die as well as Brandi's and Peter's daughter, Chloe. Since it wasn't someone Norah saw a lot, they didn't think she took much of what they said in but maybe she understood more than they thought.

"I don't want him to." She started to cry. "I want him to come home."

"I know…me too." Marshall admitted, running a hand soothingly up and down her back.

"Did he get sick because I give him my broccoli?" She asked timidly.

"No." He said quickly, although now he knew why she had suddenly started to eat her vegetables without any fuss. "It was nothing you did…nothing anyone did…"

Norah led her head back down on his chest, crying quietly and he tightened his arms around her once more, kissing the top of her head.

"Do dogs go to heaven like people do?" She questioned.

"Yeah, I bet they do…" Marshall managed to give her a small smile. "I bet he'll be able to run around all day and eat as many bones as he likes…"

"And he won't have to have any baths?" She asked. "He hated baths."

"He'll have a great time."

"Do you think he'll miss me as much as I'll miss him?"

"I know he will…" Marshall claimed. "You were his favorite person to play with."

They sat quietly for a few minutes, Marshall silently debating whether or not it was really a good idea to take Norah to see Oscar one last time. Although she was sad about the news, she had taken it better than he expected and seemed to understand but he didn't want to confuse her. He wondered what Mary would do if it were up to her; he was pretty sure that she would advise against it, wanting to shield her little girl against any chance of hurt but that was never Marshall's approach. He would never want to hurt Norah but he didn't want to deny her anything; she was good girl and although she wasn't technically his, he loved her like she was…more so because she was Mary's.

"Norah? Would you like to go and say goodbye to Oscar?" He decided to leave the choice up to her.

"Can I?" She sat up to look at him properly.

"We can go and see him now if it's something you want to do." He told her. "But you understand what that means don't you?"

"Can I hug him?" She asked. "And tell him I'll miss him."

"Of course you can." He nodded. "But you know it's not like when you say goodbye to Uncle Stan? Oscar is not going to come back…"

"I know…He's going to heaven."

"Okay…" He leaned forwards and kissed her forehead. "Let's go."

_**XxXxX**_

When Mary got home that night, she found Marshall talking on the phone. She gave him a quick wave hello before walking down the hall towards Norah's bedroom. She knew she had missed the bedtime story but also knew her daughter almost never went to sleep right away.

"Hey bug…" She whispered, walking across the room that was lit up by just a nightlight.

"Hi." She shifted closer to the wall to give Mary room sit down.

"You okay?" She asked, pushing her back behind her ears.

She nodded. "Yeah."

"Did you say goodbye to, Oscar?" Mary couldn't help but ask, needing to know that her daughter hadn't been scarred for life.

"Uh-huh…I gave him a big hug and told him I will miss him."

"That's good then…I'm sorry I couldn't come with you."

"Its okay, Uncle Marshall was there." She shrugged.

"Yeah, he's pretty good at this kind of stuff, isn't he?"

"The best." Norah declared with a single nod, making Mary smile a little. "But Uncle Marshall is sad."

Mary sighed quietly. "I know…"

"Can you make him better?"

Mary gave her a small smile. "I'll try, bug…"

"I don't like it when he's sad."

"No, me neither." Mary kissed her forehead and pulled her covers up higher around her. "Time for sleep."

"Okay…." Norah sighed quietly and closed her eyes. "Night, Mom."

"Sleep well…" She whispered but stayed sat there for a few minutes just to make sure she went to sleep.

When she left Norah's bedroom, she found Marshall had finished his phone call and was now in the kitchen, stood in front of stove.

"Hey…" She joined him, leaning back against the counter and watched him stirring some kind of sauce.

"She asleep?"

"Yeah."

"And she's okay?" He looked at her. "Did she say anything that was worrying her about Oscar?"

"She said she was sad and that she'll miss him." She shrugged a little. "But she also said it was okay because you were there with her. "

He sighed in relief. "Good…"

"I got you something…" She pulled a piece of paper out of her back pocket and handed it to him.

"What is it?" He unfolded and frowned when he read it.

"I felt bad earlier…I probably could have handle things a bit better." She explained. "You know I'm not good at these sorts of things, so I had a look on the internet and found this poem….I thought it would be something you would like…"

Marshall read it twice before looking up at her.

"It's called Rainbow Bridge." She continued, knowing he was fighting hard to hold it together. "I'm not sure I buy into the whole going to heaven thing…but if it is true, Oscar was the type of dog who would want to wait for you before crossing over that bridge."

"Mare…" He whispered.

"He was a good dog." She claimed. "And he was so loyal to you…You guys went through a lot together."

"Yeah…" His eyes dropped down to paper as he thought about the past five years.

She stepped forward and hugged him, not knowing what else to say.

"I thought you would think it was stupid….getting upset over a dog." He admitted quietly.

"In the past I would have done." She replied. "But I think even I'm going to miss him…. I think I now understand those people who consider their pets as part of their families."

He didn't say anything, just tightened his arms around her.

"But I'll still punch anyone who compares having a baby to a dog…" She couldn't help but add. "It's not the same!"

He laughed as he stepped. "You know, Norah was great earlier…You have an amazing kid, there Mare."

"I know." She smiled a little. "I think she gets a lot of it from her Uncle Marshall."

"She gets it from you." He insisted. "No matter what you say or think…She is who she is because of you."

"Even if that is true…I am who I am because of you."

He pulled her back into his arms, letting out another sigh. "Look at us…getting all girly and sentimental."

"Hey, I was just trying to have a nice moment." She poked him in the ribs. "And watch who you're calling girly…"

"You're right, you're no girl." He smirked as he stepped back away from her.

"I might have to prove you wrong on that later."

He grinned. "I'll look forward to it."

He laughed quietly, watching as she walked out of the kitchen. He re-read the poem she had given him and he felt a knot in his stomach as he thought about Oscar again. It was going to be strange not having him around…having him there to greet him when he got home or not having to go out to take him for a walk.

Mary had been right; they had been though a lot together. Adopting him had been a big step in his relationship with Abigail. It was his attempt at having a grownup relationship and it certainly moved things along.

Even though breaking up was the best thing for both of them, it had taken Marshall a while to get over. He had been sure that his feelings for Mary were one-sided and he was doomed to face a life of never meeting anyone who could live up to her. Going home to Oscar during that time had meant more than he thought was possible… He didn't know what he would have done if he had to return to an empty, lonely house every night.

Then after Mary and he finally got together, his one concern was what she would want him to do with Oscar. He was worried she wouldn't want him around so Marshall played dirty; he had Norah spend time with the dog so she fell in love with him to because he knew Mary couldn't deny her daughter anything. His plan worked like a charm…Norah was more excited about Oscar moving in then she was about Marshall.

His eye caught Oscar's leash hanging up by the door then he looked at the empty food bowl on the floor. He knew he would have to get rid of them but right now he wasn't ready. He had experience a lot of death in his life so far; his grandparents, a friend who he went to college with, witnesses, colleagues…He had even taken lives himself when the job had required it and as crazy as it sounds, losing Oscar seemed to be just as hard, if not harder. He may have only been a dog but Marshall loved him….he had been his friend, who wanted nothing more than to be cared for and loved.

He wiped the back of his hand across his eyes and took a deep shaky breath. He folded up the poem back up and put it in his pocket. He would read it to Norah tomorrow and hoped it would comfort her to think of Oscar waiting for them, like it comforted him.

**The End**

**This is pretty hard to write. I first started it a few weeks back after we lost our dog, who we had for 11 years but I have only just managed to finish it and thought I would share. Please review and let me know what you think. Also, the Rainbow Bridge poem is real. Google it and check it out. **


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